Process of mixing mercury and alloy.

• A. Trituration
• B. Condensation
• C. Adhesion
• D. Polymerization

Answer: (A)

Triturating is the process of mixing mercury with alloy to form dental amalgam. In this step, a capsule containing mercury and alloy powder is placed in a triturator, and mechanical action blends them into a uniform, workable mass. Proper triturating distributes the mercury evenly throughout the alloy, giving the amalgam the right handling properties and strength once set. The other terms refer to different concepts: condensation is packing or packing-and-condensing the material into a cavity, adhesion describes sticking between surfaces, and polymerization is the chemical reaction that creates polymers, not the mixing of mercury with alloy.